


Late than Never, Sooner than Later

by firefly_jars



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Confession, Fluff, M/M, Original Character(s), first fic don't even know how to tag, i guess, kuroken is minor tho, maybe there will be a manager too, post-haikyuu events so far, third-years graduating, this is purely nekoma no "torino" or seijou or the owls just the nekos oops
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-27
Updated: 2016-04-12
Packaged: 2018-05-29 04:44:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6359776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firefly_jars/pseuds/firefly_jars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Third-year Nekomas are graduating, and it dawns upon Yaku a little late that he's got a crush on his gangly underclassman, troublesome Lev.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Last Practice

**Author's Note:**

> (mainly focusing on yaku and lev, sprinkled with necessary commentary from other Nekoma teammates; kuroken is real)  
> listened to "i love you" by akdong musician (악동 뮤지션) + "상남자" (boy in love) by bangtan boys (방탄소년단) + "봄봄봄" (bombombom lit. spring spring spring) by roy kim while writing this; in my defense, it was late and i was needy *___*  
> 

The air was frigid. Yaku stood before the doors of the Nekoma gymnasium, debating whether or not to open them and enter.

  
   Well, it was more like he was prolonging the inevitable – he’d have to step in, have to slip on his kneepads, have to warm up with his team. Technically, he was already late, by his standards. 6:30 was his usual – he was often first to arrive – yet here he was, at 6:43 and still waiting upon someone else to force him into the gym.

  
   Why exactly he was hesitating even he didn’t know for sure. Was it because he’d be stepping foot out of this gymnasium for the last time the moment practice was over? Was it because he couldn’t bear the thought of being unable to play on the same team as Kuroo, Kenma, Yamamoto, Fukunaga, and Lev?

  
   Was it because he was afraid he’d start crying?

  
   “Yaku-san!”

  
   Yaku spun round to face the ever-enthusiastic first-year behind him. He tilted his head way up, up to look him in the eye – the beaming, sharp blue-grey eyes resembling a Russian Blue cat. Taking a brief glance at Lev up and down, Yaku frowned in disapproval. A t-shirt and shorts? In this freezing weather? Seeing as he was clutching his kneepads in one pale, long fist, he hadn’t changed after arriving at school – he’d run here in this state.

  
   “Lev, how many times do I have to tell you to dress appropriately for the weather? It’s cold!” Yaku scolded, hands on his hips.

  
   Lev grinned, albeit he had at least the sense to look sheepish. “I’m not cold, though, Yaku-san!” he claimed. A once-over of Lev proved otherwise, what with his trembling legs and restless feet anxious to go inside.

  
   “Let’s go in before you catch a cold, you dolt,” Yaku sighed. He had expected to be dragged into the gym, not the other way around, but he supposed he would have gone in either way.

 

<<<3>>>

  
  
The moment the two stepped inside, Kuroo’s voice reverberated throughout the gymnasium. “Okay, hold it!” He commanded. “Let’s hustle in for a moment and wait for the rest to come in before we start practice. I’ve got a few words to say.”

  
   Fukunaga, Yamamoto, Kenma, Inuoka, and a few others settled in a misshapen semicircle facing the Captain by one of the nets. Lev and Yaku joined them and the group shifted to accommodate the two.

  
   A few minutes and several disheveled newcomers later, Kuroo announced, “That should be everybody!” He clapped his hands together once and it echoed throughout the gym; Yaku saw Kenma wince. “So! Most of you should know this, but today’s practice is our last for this year. It’s been a good run, and we’ve come far. I’d make a shout-out to each of you if I could, but I’ll keep this brief so we can all play instead; I figure it’d be a better use of our last time together.”

  
   Lev interjected with a cry and the most confused look on his face Yaku had ever witnessed – and that was saying a _lot_. It was obvious this was all news to him. “Wait! This is our _last practice_?”

  
   Kuroo nodded with a grin that hid his sympathy. “That’s right, Lev. There will be a dinner for all of us and the coaches, though, which I was about to get to –”

  
   “– What?” Lev looked absolutely heartbroken. Yaku winced upon meeting his eyes. They were shattered seaglass. “So we won’t have another practice w-with the – the third-years?” His voice diminished.

  
   Kuroo nodded again. Yaku murmured, “That’s right, Lev.”

  
   Lev slumped and couldn’t stutter an answer.

 

<<<3>>>

  
All throughout practice, the air in the gym was a little heavier, the games a little shorter, the victorious cries of even jovial Yamamoto dampened. The team was just about as cohesive as ever, yet their plays lacked focus, only relying upon the unity that practice had engraved upon them. Everyone was preoccupied with the thought of the seniors leaving, and that the current team would be forever changed after the last practice. Kenma’s tosses were fine, but he kept eyeing Kuroo and Kai warily, letting only the slightest winces flit across his otherwise silent features every now and then. (Kuroo, sensing the setter’s dropping concentration, later pulled him out. The two returned with telling faces that bloomed with sanguineness soon afterwards.)

  
   Yaku thought to himself, _This is why I was considering skipping._

  
   Lev was especially hard-hit, and it showed in his plays. Every time Yaku yelled at him to move faster or scolded him for an easy mistake, his face crumpled and his silver hair would fall over his face as he looked at his upperclassman and cried, “Sorry, Yaku-san!” His glum obedience affected Yaku more than he liked to admit. His most troublesome underclassman had never been this problematic – and he was playing worse than usual.

  
   “Lev! I told you, READ BLOCK!” Yaku cried the moment Fukunaga’s ball hit the floor. The spiker’s usually stoic face split into a triumphant grin, but his eyes were tilted just slightly downwards.

  
   “Sorry, Yaku-san!” Lev cried, but his eyes were at Fukunaga’s feet.

  
   “Lev, look at me,” Yaku demanded. He was met with the face of a lonely puppy in the streets. He mentally winced. “C’mere for a moment.” He slipped off the court and headed towards the water fountain outside the interior gym door. Lev followed obediently.

  
   Yaku looked up at him, then said, “Sit down, Lev.” Lev sat on the bench by the fountain and Yaku looked down at him, a little more satisfied. “Look –”

  
   “– I’m sorry, Yaku-san!” Lev cried, voice choked. “I haven’t been hitting spikes properly, my receives have been way off, and my head’s been a puzzle for the entire practice!”

  
   Yaku, dumbfounded, crouched before him to meet the blue eyes that were boring holes in the floor. He raised his hand and briefly considered giving Lev a whack and a sharp, “Get it together!” before thinking better of it and simply ruffling Lev’s silver hair.

  
   “Calm down, Lev. I’m not about to yell at you.” He gave the most sympathetic smile he could muster.

  
   Lev gazed at him. His eyes were on the brink of welling.

  
   “Are you upset because this is our last practice?” Yaku inquired, knowing the answer.

  
   “Y-yes! I can’t practice with you anymore, Yaku-san! Or Kuroo-san, or –”

  
   “– That’s not strictly true, Lev,” Yaku interrupted. “We’re not really leaving; I’m going to the nearby university, and Kuroo’s only heading about an hour away. We can visit and play anytime.”

  
   Lev’s eyes widened at hearing this. “Really?” Yaku’s heart tweaked at the lightened tone.

  
   “Yeah. And you have my number, right? You can text me whenever you like and I’ll see if I can come help you with receives.” He grinned deviously. “I can still give you hell, too.”

  
   Lev pretended to look mortified. “So… this isn’t _really_ a ‘last practice,’ is it?”

  
   “Not really, no,” Yaku smirked. He patted him on the back before standing. “So don’t look so down, Lev. Plus, pretty soon you can look forward to becoming a senpai yourself!”

  
   Lev’s eyes sparkled at that. “I can be a SENPAI – like you!”

  
   Yaku’s heart tweaked again, even harder. “Yep,” he nodded shakily. “Now, let’s go back before anyone thinks you’re bawling your eyes out.” He made his way to the gym entrance when Lev suddenly tugged Yaku’s arm and pulled him around to face Lev.

  
   Yaku raised a brow and could see the momentary “Should I?” in Lev’s expression before he was abruptly pulled flush against Lev. He gave an undignified squeak - he didn't even come up to Lev's collarbone - before turning beet red and hugging him back, trying to keep his hand at an acceptable senpai-comforting-kouhai position and his face at a normal temperature. Neither was working so well.

  
   Lev murmured a, “I’ll still miss you, Yaku-san” before sniffling and pulling away.

  
   Yaku was dumbfounded once more. He snapped into focus before muttering in response, “I’ll miss you too, Lev” while hiding his red face. That didn’t work either.

  
   “Yaku-san, do you have a fever?”

  
   “N-no, you idiot Lev! Let’s go back!”

 

<<<3>>>

  
As he stood on the sidelines watching his teammates play, eyes watching Lev for signs of trouble, Kuroo stepped off the court to swap places with him. As they passed, he snickered, "That Lev’s pretty dense, isn’t he?”

  
   Yaku choked.

  
   Kuroo laughed and grinned at him. “Looks like you were too, huh?”

  
   “W-WHAT!”

  
   “I’m kidding,” Kuroo laughed, patting him on the back into his position.

  
   Yaku managed a little snort in response.

 

<<<3>>>

  
All too soon, ninety minutes had flown by, and Kuroo yelled out, “Let’s wrap this up!” The entire team groaned in response, mocking their true displeased sentiments.

  
   “Now, now!” yelled Yaku. “Put away the nets, and let’s gather.”

  
   After hustling to scavenge the volleyballs and take down the nets, the Nekoma team sat in a tight circle. Each boy’s shoulders brushing the ones of those on either side of him, wishing to huddle as close as was physically possible.

  
   “Good job, everyone, for making the most memorable volleyball team ever,” Kuroo announced proudly. At any other given time, Yaku surely would have called him out on cheesiness, but the occasion convinced him to let it slide. Kuroo cleared his throat, and although most thought it was to catch the team’s attention, Yaku was convinced it was to get past the choking of sentiments. “I’m not going to be too sentimental and gooey here, but you guys really made the last year of high school for me and the other third-year senpais the best. Everyone here worked hard and y’all had better make next year even better!” He held out his arms and motioned for the group to stand in huddle formation.

  
   Inuoka looked ready to cry, but frail-hearted Shibayama (Yaku’s replacement for libero next year) had already begun shedding tears for him. Vice-captain Kai stood stoic and stalwart behind them all as they came together, arms upon one another’s shoulders, as though planning strategy.

  
   “But hey, maybe next year,” Kuroo smirked as he glanced at the quiet setter – who shied away at his pointed stare – “Kenma can change up the team motto, eh?”

  
   Kenma made a face worthy of a Mr. Bean film, and Yaku burst out laughing.

  
   “Well, I figure that’s up to Yamamoto, isn’t it, Kuroo?” Kai reminded him. The future-team-captain fought tears to manage a grin.

  
   “We’ll see about that!” he cried, but it was almost a blurted babble, and his normally well-arranged mohawk seemed about to fall apart. _I feel the way you look, Taketora_ , Yaku thought with a grimace.

  
   Lev wailed and murmured something about missing the third years in a mush that reminded Yaku of his scrambled eggs in the morning. “C’mon, Lev!” he barked. “Let’s get it together.”

  
   Kuroo called out a last cheer. It echoed for what seemed like ages as the team stood silently together besides the sound of sniffling from Shibayama and Lev.

  
   The members simultaneously let go of one another’s arms and settled in a small circle of sentiments for a while. Even Yaku felt obligated not to break it apart until the morning bell rang and Nekoma jolted with a start to scramble to change and make it to their first period class.

 

<<<3>>>

 

In the changeroom, Yaku sighed as he pulled his shirt off over his head. “Damn, this year went by too quickly,” he murmured. Each year passed too abruptly for his liking, and this one in particular had too many untied ends. Lev still sucked at passes, and Shibayama was still eager for help from his libero senpai.

  
   “Yaku-san!” cried Lev as he poked his head through his shirt opening. “Yaku-san, can you help me with receives after school?”

  
   Yaku grinned. This, he hoped, would never change – or, at least, until he was confident Lev could handle a spike of the likes of Azumane Asahi from Karasuno. “We’ll see if the gym’s open.”

  
   As he turned to glance at his underclassman for assent, Yaku caught a glimpse of Lev’s ghostly-pale back, lean and taut, skin looking as fragile as a spiderweb. Veins ran across his spine and shoulder blades, reminiscent of coiling rivers and ravines. Yaku whipped around to tie his put his shoes on hurriedly, receiving pointed looks from the socially-literate Kuroo and Kenma, and he slammed his locker shut after taking out his belongings.

  
“Stay out of trouble, all of you!” he exclaimed, and rushed out the –

  
“– YAKU-SAN, NO! YOUR PANTS! YOU FORGOT TO PUT ON YOUR –”


	2. Predicament

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> basically yaku realizes just how far deep he's in, and his teammates are a pain in the butt (including/especially lev)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *throws in some original female character for some variety*  
> *will likely throw in another*

The rest of the day Yaku buried his face in any surface he could find – his desk, his textbook, his hoodie sleeves, and even Kuroo’s hair, which Kenma looked slightly miffed at during lunch on the rooftop. His old friend and classmate, Keiko, even commented snidely in the middle of history, to which he groaned. “I heard you ran out of the boys’ changeroom in your _boxers_ ,” she teased without a hint of shame.

_If I hadn’t been so shameful and run out after seeing Lev…_

Why had he been so thoughtless? He needed to calm down. _I need to chill_ , he thought, and put his head onto the desk – _whack_!

   “Ow!”

   He wondered which hurt more in his head – the impact, or the immediate flooding regret.

 _Regret of what, though_?

_Of crushing on my kouhai, you dolt, THAT’S what._

   Yaku shook his head at himself so strongly mentally that he opened his eyes to find himself shaking his head physically, too. Sometimes, he wished he had a girlfriend – or, well, that he were straight - it'd be _so much easier_. After all, Keiko was the friendliest, most morally-decent person around – why couldn’t he have fallen in love with her? Not...

_“Yaku-san, sometimes I forget how short you are!”_

_“Yaku-san, do you know you have a giant bit of hair sticking out from *here*?”_

_“Yaku-san, do you mind picking that up for me? You’re closer to the ground than I am.”_

_“Yaku-san, what am I going to do? I flunked my Geography exam and it was worth 30% of my grade!”_

_“Yaku-san, let me grab that for you! I don’t think you can quite reach!”_

_“Yaku-san, what’s ‘read blocking’ again?”_

_“Yaku-san, let me grab that for you! I don’t think you can quite reach!”_

   Keiko far outdid Lev in terms of… well, just about everything.

   Kuroo turned around and grinned at him all too knowingly. “You feeling okay there, Yaku?” He cocked a brow. Yaku wanted to wipe the smirk off of his face, but lacked the strength and willingness to exert energy upon Kuroo’s pettiness. Three years with a guy like him, and you grew to be tolerant.

   "Just _peachy_ ," Yaku snorted. Kuroo laughed.

   "But in all genuineness, what do you figure you're going to do about this..." He waved his hand in front of himself as though gesturing to the dust motes floating in the air. " _Problem_?"

   "Is that seriously the best word you could come up with? You got a 97 in Japanese."

   Kuroo made a noise best represented by "psh," rolling his eyes. "That's besides the point - and, mind you, it was _98_ , thank you very much - but Yaku" - he dropped his voice to a mutter - " _a_ _re_ you going to tell the poor kid that you cry over how cute he is over text and make ogling-eyes at him when he passes in the halls?"

   Yaku squeaked indignantly. "I DO _NOT_!"

   Keiko turned around in her seat with an inquiring frown. Kuroo shrugged.

   " _Do I_?"

   "Keep an eye on yourself at lunch and see for yourself. Also, what about 'predicament'?"

 

<<<3>>>

 

It turns out Kuroo was exaggerating - but he _wasn't wrong_. Yaku mentally slapped himself daily during class whenever he flinched in discovery of having been thinking about him and doodling sharp eyes (the irises not-fully-shaded the way brown eyes would be) in his always-impeccable notes, and at lunch when he caught himself staring at him or flitting up and down to appreciate his hands, his eyes, his lean frame. How Lev didn't manage to ever catch him, only the heavens knew, but Yaku was beyond grateful. His face would physically not have been able to handle the humiliating flush of heat that would surely surface.

   Kenma occasionally pointed out to him when he happened to be acting extraordinarily "wiggly" (that is, _not straight_ ), and while Yaku was relieved to be given advice, it was remarkably disturbing that he was actually so transparent - did the entire _team_ know of this?

   "Kuroo," he called over one day at practice. "Tell me honestly. Is it... obvious that I have a 'predicament'?"

   It took every inch of Yaku's shorter-than-him patience to withstand watching Kuroo roll on the ground laughing and practically sobbing from his guffaws. Kenma looked rather done himself, staring down at his boyfriend with a disapproving "tsk."

   "It's about as obvious as Lev's height!" Kuroo eventually choked out, leaving Yaku absolutely mortified. "Or your lack thereof!"

   Later, Lev inquired as to why he'd heard height being mentioned (and why Kuroo seemed to be limping); Yaku only mumbled, "Nothing! You're tall!" That's it!"

   As he stalked away, he thought he heard Lev murmuring, "I guess that _is_ pretty obvious..."

   _There's something else equally obvious, according to Kuroo..._

 

<<<3>>>

 

Yaku felt himself start to sink at the thought of the end of his high school days approaching at an exponentially quickening rate. The fact and all of the consequential facts were alarming, overwhelming, yet hollow all at once - but it was now February, and it was starting to show, what with post-grad information handouts and announcements of commencement updates. He wanted dearly to keep this fact at the farthest corner of his mind, yet seeing his volleyball underclassmen around at school (and occasionally walking home with a particular one of them) only saddened him into thinking about graduation time and time again. He wasn't normally all for sentimentality and gooey emotions, but this was undoubtedly a big deal to anyone, and to a senior in love with a first-year, it seemed especially so.

   Kuroo and Kenma slowly but surely spent more and more time with each other, Yaku noticed; there was hardly a trace of Kuroo anywhere during lunches, causing Yaku and Kai to sit with Keiko in the library, or - more often - joining a few underclassmen from the volleyball team beneath the just-budding cherry blossom trees lining the modest courtyard.

   Said underclassmen were sitting beneath a circular arrangement of sakura trees by the back entrance of the school, where they bantered boisterously and attacked one another - no, wait, it was their bentos stirring the behaviour.

   As he approached, Yaku gave out a yell that caught the attention of Yamamoto, Shibayama, and Lev. Shibayama abruptly dropped his chopsticks, and Yamamoto - poor soul - dropped his entire bento. Inuoka caught on the direction of their stares and merely laughed at the sight of riled Yaku stalking their way.

   "Sit your butts down, honestly," Yaku muttered; he decided to opt out of murdering their asses and instead shook his head as he seated himself beside Shibayama and Kai.

   "Hello, Yaku-senpai!" Shibayama greeted. He was likely the shyest of the bunch, but also one of the friendliest in Nekoma once you got introduced.

   "Hey, Shibayama-kun, Inuoka, Yamamoto, Lev."

   Lev suddenly piped up, looking up from his sandwich mid-bite. "Yaku-san!" he hollered through a mouthful of ham and cheese. "How come Shibayama's the only '-kun' here!" It hardly even sounded like a question, just an obnoxiously noisy exclamation.

   Yaku reached over and ruffled his hair to a forceful degree. "Because Shibayama's worthy of a '-kun' attached to his name, you little -"

   "- Yaku-san, what about _me_?" Inuoka objected in a whine.

   Thus ensued banter and rowdiness that seemed to accompany any outing with the volleyball team. Yaku found it incredibly petty and as immature as his little brother (going into middle school soon), but at the same time, his heart ached with the knowledge that he'd miss the ridiculous cheer and inexhaustible energy of his underclassmen. Knowing he wouldn't see these faces nearly as often as he'd like hurt.

   He was lost deep in this depressing thought when Yaku glanced up back to focus as Lev, across from and staring _right at him_ , called his name.

   "Yaku-san!"

   Yaku made an unintelligible noise of quiet alarm.

   "What're you thinking about, Yaku-san?" Lev's eyes were sharper than a blade, yet as innocently inquisitive as a child's. Yaku found his insides in a twisted knot, and his mind unable to think of how to untangle it.

   Yaku's insides weren't the only ones in a bind - his tongue was tied, too, it appeared. "I - uh - j-j-just - I was just thinking about..." he stammered to think of a subject that one would possibly think about."A-about the weather being nice today," he finished weakly.

   Lev's perplexed look made Yaku uneasy. "If you were thinking about the good weather, how come you looked so sad?"

   Yaku wished his expressions were as hard to read as a twelve-year-old's diary with a lock.

   Yaku wished Lev hadn't stolen the key.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> r.i.p. yaku's poor good soul and r.i.p. lev's nonexistent eating etiquette  
> also shibayama is a precious smol neko-child and no one can sway me on this it is fact and law shh


	3. Untimely Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lev and yaku start talking more, but lev's got some issues yaku's not sure he can help with

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> basically, lev messages yaku about "girl" problems........ *cue fake names and yaku's pain ;__;*

"I'm sad, Lev," Yaku sighed, but only loud enough for his kouhai to hear. "That's the truth."

   _Not all of it, though_ , a small voice in the back of his head reminded him. He mentally scowled at it.

   "Oh, so I was RIGHT when I said you looked sad, huh?" Lev pouted, although looking glad at having deduced this fact.

   Yaku nodded slowly with another sigh. He probably sounded so old, but it wasn't necessarily untrue in relativity to those around him. "Yeah," he murmured. "I'm just sad is all, Lev."

   "But why?"

   Yaku looked up at him with his brows scrunched up in an askew expression. "Well, why do you figure? I'm graduating."

   "Oh, right!" Lev's mouth made a little "O," like some animated character. Yaku wondered how he could have forgotten - but then again, it was Lev. His memory was as limited as Yaku's height, thought Yaku with a mental grimace at the self-diss.

   "'Oh, right'?" Yaku grumbled. "I thought perhaps you would've remembered that, Lev," he added with a quiet, immature little pout of his own. He sounded petty and self-pitying, even to himself, but he went on anyway. "It's a bothersome thought that's always at the back of my mind lately, and sometimes, being with you and other underclassmen reminds me of it."

   When Yaku turned to glance at Lev's face, he jumped in his seat at the sight of his blue-green eyes welling with tears, mere watery lines in his face as he scrunched his nose in a sniffle. "Lev, whoa! What's wrong?"

   "I don't want you to graduate," he sniffled.

   Inuoka, turning to see what Yaku had jumped at, gawked at the sight of Lev tearing up. "Lev, what the - ! Why are you crying?" The rest of the first- and second-years glanced over and looked rightly concerned.

   "I j-just don't - *sniff* - want anyone to g-graduate!" Lev wailed, his voice choked and stuttering more than Yaku's ancient calculus teacher.

   It took a good ten minutes for the combined efforts of Yaku's consolation, Inuoka's lighthearted optimism, and Yamamoto's infectious booming laughter to settle down Lev's spiked sentiments.

   "Yaku-san," Lev whined afterwards, "promise you'll visit often!"

   Yaku huffed and took in a sharp breath. "Duh, you idiot!" he snapped, ruffling his ghostly hair. _Or maybe it's more like starlight_ , he thought, before he shuddered at the disgusting cheesy side of his mind that he wasn't aware existed.

 

<<<3>>>

 

Calculus was a pain in his backside, but Yaku figured maybe another half an hour of hard work would suffice for a little break. That is, until his phone pinged and he scowled at the new message notification. He'd muted just about all of his contacts for an hour - who was it?

   Haiba Lev 10:24PM:

     YAKU-SANNNN

     YAKU-SANNN

     YAKUUUU-SANMM

     YAKU-SAN!!!!

     yaku-san this iS SERIOUSS

     YAKU-SAN PLESSEE

   Yaku's eyes bore holes through his phone screen. He was dumbfounded. He was used to spam messages from Yamamoto, Kuroo - even stoic Kai. But Lev? He hardly even realized they were friends on social media! He couldn't deny, however, the slightest match alighted in the pit of his gut. at the sight of Lev's icon, of all things, at the top of his recent contacts list.

   Yaku Morisuke 10:26PM:

     Lev wat is it /Seen 10:26PM

   Haiba Lev:

     YAKU-SANNNNNNNN OMG U REPLIEFFF /Seen 10:27PM

   Yaku Morisuke:

     Yeah Lev whats up /Seen 10:27PM

   Haiba Lev is typing...

   Haiba Lev 10:28PM:

     YAKU-SAN I NEED SOME GENUINR LIFE ADVICW /Seen 10:28PM

   Yaku Morisuke:

     Lev can u PLS turn off caps lock first for chrissakes u sound like ur yelling at me u dolt

     and turn on spellcheck istg /Seen 10:28PM

   Haiba Lev:

     YES OK YAKU-SAN SORRY

     sorry*

     can yoi pls help me yakusan /Seen 10:28PM

   Yaku Morisuke:

     uh sure whats the problem /Seen 10:28PM

   Haiba Lev:

     it's um

     it's abouy

     its sorta bout a /Seen 10:29PM

   Yaku Morisuke:

     Lev sPIT IT OUT /Seen 10:29PM

   Haiba Lev:

     ITS BOUT A GRILL /Seen 10:30PM

   Yaku Morisuke:

     what /Seen 10:30PM

   Haiba Lev:

     A GIRL*** /Seen 10:30PM

   Yaku Morisuke:

     ohhh hahaha aww ok

     who do i know her? /Seen 10:30PM

   Haiba Lev:

     ERMM her names uh

     mmmmmmmm /Seen 10:30PM

   Yaku Morisuke:

     oh my god do u not know her name lev wtf /Seen 10:30PM

   Haiba Lev:

     NO YAKU-SAN I JUS

     HER NAMES MIYUKI /Seen 10:31PM

   Yaku Morisuke:

     oooo ok aww thats a pretty name

     but dannggggggg lev on first-name basis with her huh? /Seen 10:31PM

   Haiba Lev:

     jfdajdfhjhsdfla yeah she just introduced herself as miyukiii

     i wish i could talk to her more often tho

     i never message her and we only ever talk a little irl /Seen 10:32PM

   Yaku Morisuke:

     hey talking irl is good

     do u say hello in the halls or smth /Seen 10:32PM

   Haiba Lev:

     mhmm and we talk sometimes during lunchh /Seen 10:32PM

   Yaku Morisuke:

     wowoww look at u, talking to ppl besides the first-year vball dorks

     is she in ur class? /Seen 10:33PM

   Haiba Lev:

     nooo ;___; she;s erm

     she's uh /Seen 10:33PM

   Yaku Morisuke:

     o____o is she in a different year? /Seen 10:34PM

   Haiba Lev:

     yeS HOW DID U KNOW

     TO BE HONEST SHES A THIRD-YEAT

     THATS SORTA THE REASON I NEEF UR HELP YAKU-SAB

     IDK HOW RO APPROACH HER MORE BECOS SHES OLDER /Seen 10:35PM

   Yaku Morisuke:

     holy lev how did u even become acquainted with this thirdyear girl anyway

     thats so weirf /Seen 10:36PM

   Haiba Lev:

     ermmmmm im in a clubb with her and stuff /Seen 10:36PM

   Yaku Morisuke:

     ah i see

     if u want to talk to her more u can start off by bringing up the club i guess

     or asking her about classes? idk

     lev tbh this is pretty bad timing to be crushing on a THIRD-YEAR of all ppl /Seen 10:38PM

   Haiba Lev:

     i knowwwww ;_____________; im so sad

     im gonna misd her so much when she graduatrs ;_; /Seen 10:38PM

   Yaku died silently inside as he watched Lev confess to him online - in atrocious typing, no less - about Miyuki. All the while, he was trying to pin down what possible girl he could be talking about; Yaku was fairly certain he didn't know a girl named Miyuki in his year. He could have been mistaken, though, considering he wasn't all that popular - and certainly not with the ladies, partly thanks to his... unfortunate stature.

   Still, it bothered him to no end when he tried searching up "Miyuki" on Facebook and finding fruitless results - he couldn't find a Miyuki at Nekoma high school who was a third-year. Was Lev mistaken about her grade? Feeling shamefully like a creep, Yaku scanned through a list of Miyukis in the area and found there were three in second-year at their school, one of whom piqued his interest as being fairly cute. Petite, bob-cut, light brown hair and - were those freckles? If Nakamura Miyuki was the right one, Yaku could see why Lev might like her. She had a charming smile, dimples and all. _She can't be more than 155cm though - talk about a height difference..._

   _You know who else would have a decent height difference though?_

   Yaku didn't finish that thought, willed himself away from answering. Sure, it sucked that the dorky underclassman he had a crush on turned out to like some girl, but what had been the chances anyway? _A) Lev's a first-year and I'm a third year_.

_That girl's older than him too. That sure doesn't stop him._

_B) Lev's probably straight._

_Hey, he could be bi, pan, --_

_C) There are plenty of pretty girls at Nekoma, and Lev's well-known for model-esque looks._

_I think we_ all _know he can't possibly flirt, nor does he necessarily have to_ like _those pretty girls.  
_

Yaku's mental debate back and forth hurt his head, as though he were at an intense tennis match and feeling whiplash from watching. Lev was still babbling about how kind Miyuki was, even if she seemed a bit harsh at times. "She's so sweet and tries to help everyone in the club!" "SHE HAS A REALLY CUTE SMILE I WISH SHE SMILED MORE!!!!" The excitement was so close to being infectious, but at the same time, every exclamation point was a needle through Yaku's pincushion heart.

   _Lev would do well with an upperclassman who has the patience and friendliness to put up with his antics_ , Yaku thought to himself, ends of his lips quirking sheepishly upwards in amusement. Not that he particularly would WANT his underclassman to start dating some Miyuki person, but it was a cute thought all the same. He couldn't help wishing, though, that Miyuki could swap places with him.

   _Maybe if I get enough origami paper I can fold a thousand cranes_ , he mused. _Green paper, for envy._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh the motivation for me to start an ao3 account + write this fic was purely becos there were relatively few fics focused primarily on yakulev (or is it levyaku? i honestly will never know)  
> (((i hope this appeases more than just my soul)))


	4. Lev the Lyin'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "miyuki-senpai" + yaku's nosiness = !?  
> yaku basically discovers lev was fabricating the entire existence of the senpai

Another message from Lev - it had somehow, imperceptibly, inevitably become a routine for Yaku to come home, unpack his bags, open his books at his desk only to wait on his phone for the telltale "ping!" of a new message, from Lev no less.

   Haiba Lev 8:14PM:

     omg but yaKU-SAN GUESD WHAT HAPPENRD TODAY /Seen 8:14PM

   Yaku Morisuke:

     did u talk to miyuki-san? /Seen 8:14PM

   Haiba Lev:

     YES BUT MORE TAN THATTTTTT

     SHE HELPEF ME WITJ SOMTHIGN DURING CLUB ACVTIVIES

     AND I DID IR AND SHE SAID "GOOF JOB LEV" AND SHE PATTED MY HEAS /Seen 8:15PM

   Yaku Morisuke:

     o

     omg awwww that's adorable lev

     that's pre uh /Seen 8:15PM

   _That seems like a very sisterly act_ , thought Yaku. But he couldn't tell Lev that - could he? He grabbed some melon milk from the fridge while half-considering making the remark, then thought better of it.

   Yaku Morisuke:

     that's rlly cute

     what sorta stuff do u even do in that club anyway

     what club is it? /Seen 8:16PM

   Haiba Lev:

     uhmmmmmmmm its

     its uh a /Seen 8:16PM

   Haiba Lev is typing...

   Yaku Morisuke:

     ?? /Seen 8:16PM

   Haiba Lev 8:17PM:

     it's a japanese literature clubb!!

     cos my japanese soemtimes is a lityle bad

     my sisyers always telling me to get help so /Seen 8:17PM

   Yaku Morisuke:

     o i see

     dang lev getting some LEARNING /Seen 8:18PM

   Haiba Lev:

     ahhhhhhh but miyuki-senpai is so NICE

     SHE HELPS EVERUNONE IN THE CLUB ALL THE TIMR

     SHE ALWAYS STAYS AND HELPS AFTERWARDSSS

     AND HSE JUST WORKS SO HARF

     AND SHES SO CUYE AND PETITE AND SHE HAS A RLLY PREYYU LAUGH /Seen 8:18PM

   Yaku Morisuke:

     wow she sounds... awfUL WITH THAT ATROCIOUS TYPING

     TURN ON SPELLCHECK LEV ISTG /Seen 8:19PM

   Haiba Lev:

     SPELLCHECK ALWAYS TURNS MY WORFS INTO THE WRONH ONES THO IRS WEIRD /Seen 8:19PM

   Yaku Morisuke:

     i'm sure i'll be able to comprehend more with real words at least /Seen 8:19PM

   Haiba Lev:

     AHHH YAKU-SAN SO MENA

     MIYUKI-SENPAI IS RLY NICE /Seen 8:20PM

   Yaku nearly spat out his melon milk. "Miyuki-senpai is rly nice" did not at all bode well with him. Who WAS this "Miyuki-senpai"? He suddenly felt the urge to scour around to find this girl - just how amazing was she? While his conscience hissed at the back of his mind scathingly, the forefront of his brain overrode his reason.

   Yaku Morisuke:

     yeah she sounds pretty nice

     you seem really excited about her lev /Seen 8:20PM

   Haiba Lev:

     YEHA SHES GREAT

     SHE SOMRTIMES SCOLDS ME ABOUT STUFF BUT IDK MAUBE SHE CARES ABOUY ME /Seen 8:20PM

   Yaku Morisuke:

     LOL

     i suppose fairly true /Seen 8:21PM

   A little tweak in his heart stung him as he ruminated his own daily scoldings of his underclassman. He wishfully pondered the minute possibility of Lev finding his own remarks endearing and the consequence of caring. Suddenly he wondered - what if Lev thought Yaku disliked him?

   Haiba Lev:

     itS KINDA LIKE HOW U SCOLF ME BOUT EVEYRTHINH I DO IN VOLLETBALL YAKUSAN /Seen 8:21PM

   Yaku's heart jolted of its own accord.

   Haiba Lev:

     TO BE HONESY SOMTIMED I HOPE MIYUKI SENPAI LIJES ME BACK ;__, IM LRLLY JUMPY N NERVOUD YAKUSAN /Seen 8:21PM

   Yaku Morisuke:

     oh goodness uve got the butterflies havent you

   Haiba Lev:

     IDK WHAY THAT MEAND BUT SURE

   Yaku Morisuke:

     it's like

     feeling jittery and

     really nervous especially in the gut

     because youre thinking about someone

   Haiba Lev:

     YED

     THIS IS DEFIENRELEY ME RIHGT NOW

     I THINJ I NEEF SOME HELP YAKUSAN hwat do i do i ilke hin so much

   Yaku Morisuke:

     lev omf ur an idiot

     calm down r u gonna ask her out or smth???

   Haiba Lev:

     IDK IF I SHOULF

     IDK IF SHE LIKEA ME

   Yaku Morisuke:

     that's sorta how u find out lev

     but i mean if ur not ready u probably shouldnt

     youve only really talked to her for .. what

     three weeks?

   Haiba Lev:

     gaUHHHH im reLALY JUS JUMPY N FIDGETY N I CANR STOP THINKINF ABOUT HER

   Yaku Morisuke:

     geez lev ur really in deep arent u

   Haiba Lev:

     yes

   Yaku's insides prickled. He suddenly turned away from his computer screen, eyes darting from temporary place to place in his room before settling upon his bare hands. Empty, palms to the ceiling, so lonely.

   All of a sudden he felt fairly, quite frankly, bleak. He'd known all along Lev liked this girl, and he'd heard all of these things about her without knowing who she was; perhaps, he thought, this has lent her a less-than-real quality and he had felt assured this couldn't truly be a serious matter. Lev confessing to him that he was in deep felt like a douse in ice water, waking him up real quick. Yaku felt himself turn the most shameful shade of crimson for having thought anything other than that Lev really liked this Miyuki girl, as envious as he was.

   _He's a first-year anyway_ , Yaku thought desperately. _He's just a really tall really endearing underclassman. You should've known better, Yaku. Idiot._

   He pulled at his hair and slumped in his chair. Lev seemed so far all of a sudden - he never mentioned this Miyuki girl in school, nor did it seem as though there were any girls who were well-acquainted with the gangly boy. He was hard to approach, after all. It could be so easy to imagine this was all just a false story, that Lev was joking with him. At this point, everything seemed rather tough to swallow. Yaku tried to fathom the possibility of Lev asking out this girl, and going out with this girl, and laughing and hugging and kissing and holding hands with this girl. This faceless girl.

   Yaku groaned and plopped onto his bed.

_I need to meet this girl._

 

<<<3>>>

  

 "Japanese Literature Club: 2-A, gotcha," he muttered, looking over the school clubs directory pamphlet he'd snatched from the office that morning. He strode past the classroom bustling with lunchtime banter and up the stairs to the second floor. If this so-called "Miyuki-senpai" headed this club that met every Wednesday and Friday at lunch, she would certainly be in the room on this fine Wednesday afternoon, wouldn't she?

   "Yaku!"

   Yaku turned to glance at the caller; Kuroo stood at the bottom of the flight of stairs, giving him a funny look. "Hey, where you going? Aren't you eating lunch with me 'n' Kenma today?"

   "Uh," he glanced up sheepishly towards the second floor hall. "I've got someone to look for in a club - I'll be down there in a second though."

   Kuroo shrugged. "Alrighty then," and went off down the hall to their classroom.

   Yaku hoped he wasn't the target of suspicion from Kuroo Tetsurou, of all people. It was best to keep his petty concerns to himself, he figured. _I still don't get how I've never heard of this Miyuki-san, though. I don't know_ everybody _in my year, but I should know pretty much everyone by now._

   Class 2-A. The door was closed. Yaku peered anxiously through the glass pane above the knob. It seemed there were about a dozen members sitting at the desks - where was Lev? - looking up at the club leader standing by the chalkboard. He craned his neck and narrowed his eyes to take a glance at the girl writing something on the board - her hair partially hid her face...

   "Yaku-san, what are you doing here?"

   That answered the question of where Lev was.

   Reflexes ever so quick, Yaku jolted and turned around. Over six feet of gangliness peered down at him, a human tower in his own right. _Or maybe more of a beanstalk_ , he thought. "U-uh, just, uh - hey, Lev, what're you doing not in this classroom this instant!"

   Lev glanced back and forth between Yaku and the classroom door. "Yaku-san, what do you mean?"

   "Th-the Japanese Literature Club, right? Aren't you going to attend?" Yaku sounded, even to himself, way overstepping his boundaries and pushing the Helpful-Reprimanding-Senpai envelope, but he was also truly questioning Lev's membership in this literature club.

   Lev took three seconds. "Oh!" he cried, as though remembering that he was in the club in the first place. "Ah, right, Yaku-san," he tittered. "Thanks for reminding me! I totally forgot today was the meeting!"

   Yaku kicked his leg threateningly close to Lev's stomach. "How could you forget, you beanstalk! Miyu --"

   "-- Can I help you two, or are you just going to stand out here and disrupt our club?"

   Lev and Yaku instantly turned into twin cherries. Yaku dropped his leg mid-scold.

   "Uh," Yaku blurted, at a loss for thoughts. "Miyuki-san?"

   The girl looked miffed. And somehow familiar... "Pardon?"

   Lev leapt into action. "Ah, sORRY, WE'LL JUST HEAD OUT --"

   "-- LEV, GET INTO YOUR CLUB ACTIVITIES --"

   "-- Hi, Yaku-san, am I right? I think you've got the wrong person --"

   Yaku jolted. "Oh, hang on - Yamamoto-san! Yamamoto-san from the mochi stand at the summer festival!"

   Yamamoto Keiko nodded with an awkward smile. "Yeah, that's me. Anyway, though, we're running the Japanese Literature Club right now, and I'd appreciate if you guys could, uh... step away from the door while you have your conversation." She looked at the two of them.

   "Wait, but Lev, aren't you in this club?" Yaku, puzzled, stared at his underclassman. When he received nothing but a stammering mutter of nothings and a blush that crept all the way down his neck, he looked back at Yamamoto-san.

   She raised a brow. "Are you, now?" She looked up at the tall, tall boy whose green eyes just wouldn't keep still. "Hey, why didn't you say you were interested! I would've let you in." She smiled up at him, but when she didn't get a response other than "D-du-uh-uhhh," she said, "I'm club leader, Yamamoto Keiko. You?"

   Yaku was yet confused. "W-wait a minute, you're club leader?"

   Yamamoto turned her head. "Uh, yeap! I've been running it since Atsushi-senpai graduated last year. Why?"

   "Are there any... other executives? Perhaps by the name of Miyuki-san?"

   "What?"

   Lev finally piped up, finding words to string together. "Y-YakU-SAN, LET'S GO GRAB LUNCH! THANK YOU YAMAMOTO-SENPAI, I'LL BE HEADING OFF SORRY TO BOTHER YOU I'LL BE BACK ON FRIDAY SORRY I JUST GOTTA GO --"

   "Oi, Lev, what!" Yaku was dragged off towards the stairs as Yamamoto stared at them leave, dumbfounded. She returned to the classroom and resumed the meeting, wondering who this "Miyuki" could possibly be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is so dorky why am i doing this

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!  
> (((first fic; feedback appreciated!)))


End file.
